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France says Russia carried out cyberattacks, names military intelligence unit GRU for first time
GRU 'has been deploying a cyber-offensive modus operandi called APT28 against France for several years. It has targeted around ten French entities since 2021,' Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a message on social media platform X read more
France has accused Russia's GRU of carrying out cyberattacks on the country in the past decade. Image Credit: Pexels
France on Tuesday (April 29) accused Russian military intelligence of being behind cyberattacks against the nation over the last decade, including on President Emmanuel Macron's 2017 campaign and a TV network in 2015, the foreign ministry said.
Russian military intelligence (GRU) 'has been deploying a cyber-offensive modus operandi called APT28 against France for several years. It has targeted around ten French entities since 2021,' Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a message on social media platform X.
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'In cyberspace, France observes, blocks and fights its adversaries,' he added.
Le service de renseignement militaire russe (GRU) déploie depuis plusieurs années contre la France un mode opératoire cyber-offensif appelé APT28. Il a ciblé une dizaine d'entités françaises depuis 2021.
Dans le cyberespace, la France observe, bloque et combat ses adversaires. pic.twitter.com/9NUdyG9hxa — Jean-Noël Barrot (@jnbarrot) April 29, 2025
The accusations, labelled at GRU unit APT28, which officials said was located at Rostov-on-Don, are not the first by Western powers, but it is the first time Paris - referring to its own intelligence gathering - has laid the blame at the Russian state.
Accusations of cyberwarfare on Russia
APT28, also known as Fancy Bear, has been linked to dozens of global cyberattacks including the 2016 US election, where it was accused of aiding Donald Trump by leaking Democratic Party emails and those of the campaign of Hillary Clinton.
A week ago, Netherlands' Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) had warned that Russia has ramped up hybrid attacks aimed at undermining Dutch society and its European allies. The agency disclosed that a Russian cyberattack attempted to gain control over an unspecified Dutch public service. 'It was thwarted, but it was the first time,' MIVD Director Peter Reesink had said.
Last month, a report by the New York Times had suggested that over the course of the past two years, Russia had stepped up cyberattacks in Europe and on the United States in a bid to pressure them to curb their support for Ukraine.
According to the report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, these cyberattacks had targeted undersea cables, warehouses and railways.
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